St. James the Apostle- 25 July- Matthew 4:21; Acts 12:2

  St. James the Apostle was the elder brother of the Apostle John and is sometimes called James the Greater. (The name James is a British form of the common biblical name Jacob or "Iakobos.") James was among the first followers of Jesus (Matthew 4:21); he was also part of the inner group of disciples near Christ at certain key moments (see Matthew 17:1 and Matthew 26:37). 

Later, James was one of the Eleven Apostles who encountered the risen Christ. He was also in the group present after the Ascension (Acts 1:13). During Christ's earthly ministry, James hoped for earthly honors (Matthew 20:20-23), but he learned to put aside such worldly ambitions and became the first of the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Gospel (Acts 12:2). Let us remember and honor the example of James and learn to follow him in humility and faithfulness.

Easter III- John 16:16-22

The traditional Gospel read on this Sunday is from John 16:16-22. In these verses from our Lord's Farewell Discourses, we have another instance of the disciples not understanding what Jesus is talking about. He predicts His suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension. He warns them to expect separation and sorrow while they await His renewed presence. He drives His points home in two verses. In John 16:20, He states, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy." He explains this in John 16:22, "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you" (KJV).

Although they are slow to understand, the disciples eventually learn what Jesus teaches about sorrow and joy. They learn through Christ's cross and resurrection. His sufferings and their separation from Him bring them great sorrow, but His resurrection brings them profound joy. He changes them, and they find new strength in facing all the sorrows and joys of life in this world. The joy of His resurrection is so deep and strong that they learn to follow Him in deeper and stronger ways. They are empowered to serve Him through all the sorrows and joys of this world and remain faithful to the end.

These words about sorrow and joy still apply to Christian believers. We all experience earthly sorrows and joys. But there is one joy that surpasses our circumstances in the world. That great joy comes from knowing the presence of the risen Christ with us. Through His Word in Scripture, through the influence of the Holy Spirit, and through the visible Word in His sacraments, we sense His presence in this life, and we look forward to His presence with us eternally. In Paul's words from Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord, alway: and again I say, Rejoice."

St. Joseph- Luke 2:41-52

 On some calendars, March 19 is the feast of St. Joseph. Two Gospel passages are associated with this day: Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:41-52. Both highlight the often-neglected role of St. Joseph in the Incarnation. Of course, Jesus Himself is the focus of the Gospels, and the Virgin Mary is highly favored. Yet, Joseph must not be forgotten. He is a great example of a godly and honorable man. 

As Matthew 1 shows, in his initial response to Mary's unique pregnancy, Joseph is a merciful traditionalist. He wants to follow the rules in a kind way. But Joseph is also open to change for good reason. He hears and heeds the divine call, and in response to God's message, he accepts his vocation with courage and commitment. He is supportive of Mary. He cares for the blessed spouse and for the holy child entrusted to his care.  As Luke 2 indicates, after the birth of Jesus, Joseph leads the family into Egyptian exile during Herod's lifetime. Later, he is involved in the religious life of the holy family as shown in the pilgrimage at Passover when Jesus is twelve. Joseph probably also oversees young Jesus' basic education in the Scriptures and probably passes on his practical carpentry skills.

In these and many unknown ways, Joseph fulfilled his sacred vocation as a human father. For those who are human fathers, Joseph is a great example in that role. For all Christians, he is an example of love, religious duty, and self-sacrifice. May his example encourage us all in our devotion to and service to Christ!

Lent 1- Matthew 4:1-11

 The Gospel this Sunday is the familiar story of Christ’s great fast and temptation from St. Mathew 4:1-11. After Jesus’ Baptism, He withdrew to the wilderness for a period of devotion. At the close of His days of prayer and fasting, the Tempter sought to catch him in a moment of weakness. Satan used appealing lures, and even though the Tempter’s aims were contrary to Scripture, he tried to confuse matters by quoting Scripture.

Of course, Jesus of Nazareth rejected the three great temptations of the devil. He knew that it was wrong to serve Satan for any reason. Jesus chose to live on the earth in the ways His heavenly Father wished. He would not turn away from those principles despite attacks, misunderstandings, and objections. He would remain steadfast even when it meant rejection by the crowds and an agonizing death on the Cross.

In certain respects, the Temptations of Christ were unique. No one else has ever been so innocent. No one else has ever had to make such important spiritual choices. No one else has ever resisted temptation so completely.

Yet, although Christ's person is unique, in some other ways, His temptations were similar to those faced by other human beings. So His basic temptations apply to all of us. These temptations are rooted in three basic needs in human life. All of us need to care for our bodies, and this leads us to seek some degree of physical or material comfort. All human beings are made for interaction with others. So, there is a natural desire for approval from at least some other people. All of us humans need some control over our surroundings, and so we desire some power over people and things.

The problem is that the Tempter, the Evil One, uses all these natural needs and desires to draw us away from God and His intentions for human life. Even Jesus, in His human nature, was tempted, but we are fallen descendants of Adam and Eve. And we do not have the purity and spiritual strength of Christ. We are still sinners.

Thus, we must be vigilant, and we need more moral and spiritual discipline. We must continue to struggle to remain loyal to divine principles in all areas of life.  Above all, we need to look to the grace and assistance of Jesus Christ each day.

All Saints- Hebrews 12:1; Jude 3

 All Saints Day is one of the great celebrations of the Church. This feast reflects a long development from the early years of Christian history through the centuries. In the New Testament, there was already a strong sense of community, communion, and continuity among believers. Christians shared with one another, interceded for one another, gave thanks for one another, and honored the witness and example of the faithful who had gone before. They had the sense of being surrounded by a great "cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1); they also knew that they must continue to "contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3).

Thus, All Saints Day is a celebration of the Christian faith from Biblical times to the present and beyond. Let us rejoice in the heritage of the saints, and by divine grace, let us seek to be saints who pass the Christian faith on to others!

Trinity III- Resisting the Adversary- I Peter 5: 5-11

The Epistle for the Third Sunday after Trinity is a famous and striking passage from 1 St. Peter 5:5-11. This short selection from near the end of the letter contains important themes such as grace, humility, faith, confidence, perseverance, suffering, and temptation. In particular, let us notice 1 Peter 5:8-9, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist stedfast in the faith...."

As Christians seek to grow in grace, we should always be aware that we do not merely struggle against natural conditions or only against our personal weaknesses. We are involved in the cosmic struggle between God and evil. We know that God in Christ has triumphed and will return in final victory. In the meantime, earthly struggles continue, and by divine grace, we must resist evil through faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. He is our only real hope and strength in a fallen world and a corrupt age!

Trinity II- Worldly Hate- I John 3:13

The Epistle and Gospel for the Second Sunday after Trinity contain great theological themes such as love, mercy, and mission. However, this time I would focus on one verse with great practical wisdom for Christians. The selection from the Epistle, 1 John 3: 13 begins "Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you." 

Many believers down through the centuries have appreciated the value of John's warning. They have known that the fallen world, sometimes even within the institutional church, opposes and indeed hates the Christian message and those who sincerely seek to live in accordance with the Gospel. Unfortunately, in recent centuries, many western Christians have forgotten this Biblical truth. They have accepted the two assumptions that most human beings are "nice" and that even worldly people are well-disposed toward the Christian message. From a Biblical perspective, such assumptions have never been accurate, and they apply even less to secularized societies that no longer accept generally Christian values. Believers need to be realistic. While we look for the good in others and strive to live peaceably, we must take the fallenness of humanity and the world seriously.

Most Christians prefer to be liked, but Jesus warns His followers repeatedly that He and they must be ready to face worldly hatred. In John 15:18-19, we read,  "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." The early Christians knew and accepted this teaching. Many Christians have become aware of it repeatedly throughout history. In secular and so-called post-Christian societies, we must all learn once more to take this Biblical teaching seriously. Loyalty to Jesus Christ means that we are not of the world, and the world does not react very nicely when rejected. Knowing this, we must be spiritually courageous and faithful!

Sexagesima- Glorying in Infirmities- II Corinthians 11:19-31

 On this Sunday almost sixty (Latin sexagesima) days before Easter, my attention has been drawn to the Epistle from II Corinthians 11:19- 31. In this passage, the Apostle Paul summarizes his ministry and some of his difficulties. Then in II Corinthians 11:30, he concludes, "If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities." Those who follow Jesus Christ must follow Him in the way of the cross. Despite our creaturely proclivities, we must not look for worldly ease or earthly glory. Instead, we must look to Christ and pursue spiritual goals which are contrary to worldly ways of thinking. Believers need to see worldly trials and struggles as ways leading to heavenly glory.

This Christian principle is always true, but sometimes we need to be reminded, and we need to think of how it applies in our lives. This week, two distinct applications have struck me. First, there is an application to the church calendar. During pre-Lent and Lent, we highlight themes of self-discipline and self-denial. Such themes are important for living a Christian life and for striving to follow our Lord. It is not our outward triumphs that mark our loyal discipleship. Rather, it is our perseverance through unpleasant and difficult circumstances and through our infirmities that indicate our faithfulness to Christ.

Secondly, this principle has a special relevance to Christian discipleship in these historic times. A cursory examination of the news shows great challenges. There are corruptions, absurdities, and evil in many places. This decadence is widespread in religion, even in supposedly Christian churches. So Christians who strive to be faithful in doctrine and conduct are frequently confronted with blatant false teachings and evil behavior from their leaders and fellows. 

Historically, there have always been human failures, but in recent times, the failures are more widespread and systemic. Christian institutions that have been faithful in some respects in the past may no longer be so today or tomorrow. Opposition and even persecution may suddenly come from new directions. And our personal strengths may feel overwhelmed. But we do not face the world confiding in our own strength. Like the Apostle Paul, we must be ready to face a variety of challenges allowing the grace of God in Christ Jesus to work through our infirmities.

Trinity VIII- Ravening Wolves- Matthew 7:15

This week, I am taking some time to travel, but I was struck by the relevance of the Gospel for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity. In St. Matthew 7:15, our Lord warns, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Of course, false and corrupt religious leaders have been a perennial problem in history, and Christ's Church has been afflicted by bad leadership in many periods, including ancient Gnostics, fourth-century Arians, and worldly medieval prelates. 

However, such false prophets seem even more rampant in the 21st century. Besides the usual human foibles that afflict individual leaders, our time sees so much institutional corruption in theology and moral teaching (or the lack thereof). No church body or Christian tradition seems exempt. There are many who seem determined to mislead and devour Christ's flock, and they can be found among all sorts of theological denominational backgrounds.

In light of such dangers, we must beware. We must be vigilant and strive to remain faithful. None of us is perfect or infallible. None is immune from some temptation. So we all must constantly repent, confess our sins, and seek divine grace. With God's help, we are empowered to resist the corruptions of the age spread by many religious leaders. In the words of Hebrews 12:1, "...  let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith."

Trinity XV- Divine Mercy and Human Response- Galatians 6: 11-18; Matthew 6: 24-34

The BCP "propers" for this Sunday highlight the centrality of divine mercy and the need for a faithful human response. The Collect for the Day is another one from the ancient church which was edited slightly in the 1549 and 1662 Prayer Books. The emphasis is on God's mercy helping to preserve the Church from the corrupting tendencies of human frailty. Only divine help can keep us from spiritual harm and lead us to salvation.

The Epistle is the third in a series of three traditional readings from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians. The English reformers did shift the selected verses slightly to Galatians 6:11-18 in order to emphasize the dangers of legalism and the applicability of Christ's Gospel to all peoples. Believers are not to glory in their human background or accomplishments. Rather as Paul says in Galatians 6:14, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." We must all be dependent upon the divine mercy and grace revealed most fully in the cross of Christ.

The Gospel for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity is from St. Matthew 6:24-34. The reference to God's provision is appropriate for early autumn, the beginning of the harvest season, but it implies much more. It points us to divine providence and mercy in all its expressions. All of creation is dependent upon God for existence and survival. He watches over and cares for wild plants and the least birds. How much more must He care for human beings, especially for His faithful people! Therefore, He expects a faithful response. We must cast aside faithless anxieties. We must reject the idolatry of mammon or materialism. Instead, we must place God's kingdom, His righteous standards, first if life is to be truly meaningful.